Aussie Scrap Source

pow! australian-made

Chris has always been a huge fan of the Aussie company 'CherryArte'. She's used nearly every range of their papers and their chipboard alpha's and shapes are a favourite of hers. Chris loves how fresh the Poolside papers are and thought they would be perfect for scrapping these very Aussie photos. Chris found the rub-ons very easy to apply and the alpha's had plenty in the packet for her title.

when it comes to silly photos - Australians seem to have it down pat! When searching for photos for this challenge Jaimie couldnt get over all the face pulling that goes on whenever she brings out the camera and so it seemed fitting to create a page about the art of being silly. Using a mix of BTDT papers Jaimie created a fitting background for her collage of photos of family and friends doing what seems to come naturally! A nice fun LO using top of the line Aussie product.

 

 

 

  

Mel used a Scrapping Clearly large scallop tab album combined with several of the Been There Done That rubons to complete a simple, yet effective album of a fun day at the beach. The tabs on the album add interest to the project and the Been There Done That rubons rub onto the album beautifully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nic and her children love to go into the city on little Melbourne 'adventures'. This little album created from 6 inch square acrylic album by Scrapping Clearly celebrates this along with showcasing some of Nic's favourite photos taken in the city. 

She made 4 inch pages either by cropping her photo to 4 inches square and then embellishing or by making a 4 inch page. She then centred each of the 4 inch pages into the centre of the 6 inch pages aligning them one by one to leave the border clear.  This gives the album a light 'floating' effect. She embellished each page with rub-ons and chipboard by CherryArte and with papers and rub-ons from various "Been There Done That" ranges.

 

  

  

 

 

Steph loves all the little things around her house that are precious to her, and make her feel happy. The Australian Owned Scrapping Clearly provided the perfect showcase for Steph in their Acrylic House Mini Album. This cute little book is perfect for transperancies giving the look of the book an airy, light shabby chic feel. The pages are so easy to work with and Steph loves the sheer aesthetic when she creates.

pow! mixed up alphabets

Chris has put together this layout using some left over Christmas photos and while she was at it she took on the challenge of mixing and matching some alphabets she had in her stash. Chris used a 'scrabble' effect in between her photos and combined the Basic Grey letters stickers with tiny Carolee's Creations stickers.

Chris then went on to spell out some lyrics from her children's favourite Christmas song around the border of the layout using the Carolee's Creations stickers again and this time pairing them with the Heidi Swapp Bordeaux rub-ons. I think you'll agree that it's a very eye catching effect!

 

 

Donna loves her alphabet products...that is certainly no secret! Big titles are much like the hook line of a hit song - they draw you in and make you want to hear more. The biggest problem with alphabet products (if you can call it a "problem") is that so often we run out of that one letter we need to create that all important title. Donna's solution to this problem...substitute another product! It makes perfect sense, right? In this layout Donna shows us that mis-matched alphabet products really needn't be something to worry about, instead she feels it gives her layouts a little extra 'personality' and pizazz! By making the mis-matched alphabet products the feature of this layout, Donna has stumbled upon a solution to the lost letter issue as well as a fun design concept!

 

 

 

 

 

This was such a great and fun layout Carole has created, she used a lot of different alpha, We R Memory Keepers Chipboard Alphas, Pink Paislee Holly Doodle Alpha Stickers, and Heidi Swapp Chipboard and Plastic Alphas.

The papers Carole used are Cosmo Cricket Jacks World, they went perfectly with all the alphas. Carole also used embellishments to show off the alphas such as Stickers and tags and to give the alphas depth you can either use 3D dots or foam tape, and she also added a little stitching.

 

 

 

Got odd leftover chipboard letters that you probably won't use again? Paint them the same colour as your background and use them as a funky textured layout base. It's easy to layer more elements over the top if you wish and you can experiment with colour and textures.

 

In this 'mixed up alpha' challenge, Suz's idea was to echo the randomness and mixed up colours of her daughters clothes drawers with it's associated title, and again with a patchwork border.  It's a random mish-mash of colours and designs but so is Phoebe's wardrobe so it works!

A great tip too for when you have random letters leftover but have used up all the vowels and most common letters in a set - use alpha stamps for the letters you've run out of.  Stamp either directly onto your layout, or onto scrap bits of cardstock or paper, adding to the mixed randomness.

 

 

 

For the mixed alpha challenge Mel mixed up several chipboard and sticker alphabets to create a border around the photo. Her favourite alphabet (Scenic Route Berkeley chipboard, red) was scattered amongst Rose Moka Equinoxe letters (red & navy), Scenic Route Berkeley alpha stickers, SEI Park Buddies alphabet stickers, Sassafras Lass Happy Place monogram stickers and Carolee's Creation tiny etched alpha (natural).

 

 

Jaimie had an empty frame lying around and thought that this alphabet project would be a fun one to create with her daughter. Using left over chipboard, plastic and sticker alphas she let Ellie choose specific letters and together they arranged them so they all fit nicely in the frame. Once happy with the arrangement Jaimie adhered the letters to the backing sheet that came with the frame.

This would be a lovely project to complete with your child with a variation to let them spell out their names or a favourite quote.  **Project inspired by Becky Higgins**

pow! masks

  

With so many mediums available to crafters there is no reason to stick with the same traditional products that have always been used. Here Jaimie used Luminarte polished pigments and applied over the mask with a palette knife creating a thick, textured, shimmery cover. The results are quite dramatic and definitely gives a wow factor to her page. When using this technique it is important to leave the mask in place until the medium is almost dry.

 

 

 

Masks are something Carole hasn't done a lot of, but when she used the Tim Holtz Timeworks Masks straight away she thought of a great photo. She layed the masks down onto pattern paper, and then inked around the mask and then cut it out. She stuck the mask down onto the background of her layout, and also layered some part with foam tape, she also used Crate Avenue Band, Tags and Frames to embellish her layout, and made cute little felt centres to her flowers.

 

Nicole wanted to create a layout full of grunge and an outdoor-feel for this photo of her son Alexander catching his first fish.

To achieve this delicious background texture, she layered masks by Tim Holtz and spattered LuminArte's Rain Dauber paints over the top. She started with the spider web mask in position first, dipped an old toothbrush into the Rain Dauber bottle and then ran her fingernail along the bristles to force the paint to spatter over the mask.

Leaving the mask in position, she attached the barbed wire mask border slightly overlapping the spider web and repeated the spattering process. Finally, she overlaid the clock mask and again repeated the spattering process with a third Rain Dauber colour - WARNING - this is a messy (fun) process. Make sure your work area is covered and if you want your hands to stay clean, wear gloves as the Rain Dauber paint will stain your hands and nails a little.

 

 

 

Chris used a few different techniques with the Heidi Swapp masks. Firstly she created the bird by inking around the edges of the bird mask onto white cardstock. After Chris removed the mask she then used Opera pink, Cyan and indigo inks with an aqua-flo brush to create the watercolours on the bird. Chris cut around the bird image and applied some Jo Sonya's Opal dust paint and kindy glitz to give the bird some sparkle.

To create the branch Chris traced around the mask onto Heidi Swapp paper. She then stamped the Hero Arts flourish border stamp over the traced branch and then cut the shape out.

To create the leaves Chris again traced the mask and after cutting the leaves out she placed them into the quickutz and applied the zig zag embossing die to the leaves to give them texture. Then to emphasise the embossing even more Chris wiped some Cyan ink over the raised areas and added a little kindy glitz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Masks are a very versatile and creative product. They aren't exactly new to the scrapping world, yet they are often overlooked. Donna has built up a great collection of masks with her favourites being the new Tattered Angels Glimmer Screens. This particular product was created to compliment Tattered Angel's Glimmer mist, but as is the case with most scrapbooking products, can be used with whatever products you have available.
In this example Donna has traced around the outer edge of the Decorative Corners

Glimmer Screen with a black felt tip pen onto white cardstock and 'coloured-in' the inverse of the mask using a paintbrush and LuminArte Polished Pigments. After carefully cutting out the design she's finished it all off with a dash of glitter and simply glued and stapled onto her layout.
The result is kind of 'arty' and fun and definately gives her page a 'handcrafted' look and feel.

 

    

At the end of last year, Heidi Swapp came to Australia for Create'08 - a fabulous full day workshop.  Suz was lucky enough to attend and here she shares one of the many techniques she learned.  This gorgeous heart page actually layers four different Heidi Swapp masks, and shows how layering them and blending colours can customise your page - in this way you can practically make your own patterned paper. 

First down is a new mask that will be premiering at CHA'09 in a few weeks - this beautiful oversized heart.  She then layered the Tulip mask, and then the Dots on top of that.  Using Tim Holtz's brilliant distress inks, which 'build' layers of colour this stunning effect is created.  (And these inks are now up for pre-order on the Aussie Scrap Source store - yay!).  The final touch - aside from the beautiful damask and clock stamps (still used within the confines of the heart mask) was the beautiful Whispies mask which was added later with a silver foil pen.

 

 

 

When she came home, Suz was so impressed with these techniques she decided to apply what she had learned on this funny little halloween page.  The large circle is another mask that will be part of Heidi's CHA release in a few weeks time.  Suz set a Tim Holtz spiderweb mask inside the circle, and blended several of the Tim Holtz Distress Inks to create her mottled 'moon'.  She felt the page needed balance, so she added the 'fenceposts' from the Tim Holtz Borderline mask set in the bottom left hand corner.  Once she removed the masks, she highlighted sections with a white gel pen just to give the images a little added dimension.

pow! albums

 

We R Memory Keepers Classic Leather Albums are as beautiful as they are functional. They are made of the finest quality materials imported from Italy and adorned with beautiful stitching and silver metal accents. These 12 x 12 ring bound albums are available in 16 stylish colours. They are built to last longer than any other binder.

Three-ring scrapbooks are by far the easiest albums for new scrapbookers to use. The binding allows for easy movement and rearranging, and for adding additional pages.

Let's face it...scrapbook albums are one of the least talked about elements of the scrapbooking world. We pour so much of our hearts and souls into each and every layout we create that it's simply crazy not to make careful decisions about the albums that will store our precious memories for many years to come. Donna was thrilled at the prospect of reviewing her choice in scrapbooking albums...the We R Memory Keepers Linen Ring bound Album.

In Donna's own words...
"The We R Memory Keepers Albums are some of the sturdiest that I have come across. The Page Protectors are made from a thick plastic that doesn't easily crease or tear and they just seem to give my heavier layouts that extra support that they need.
I am always impressed with the number of layouts that I'm able to fit in these albums - it's actually quite amazing. My layouts are usually quite dimensional and because the album is so strong, I'm not afraid to push it's boundaries just that little bit more, if you know what I mean!?
I generally go for the Ring-bound album type as I don't scrap chronologically, yet like to keep my layouts in some kind of chronological order. By being able to open my album to any layout and "insert" a new one in the position of my choice, my albums tend to make a little more 'sense'...at least to me, anyway!

Ordering from websites can be a little disconcerting and Donna knows this as much as the next girl! Here, she has put her photographic skills to good use in order to show you a clearer picture of the luxurious linen texture of these stunning albums.

Here Donna demonstrates the number and size of the layouts that she is able to store inside her We R Memory Keepers 3-Ring Album. As she said, it really is quite astounding!

Every aspect of these albums has been considered by the manufacturer. The metal 'corners' shown here prevent dog-earing and bending and provide that extra support when it is standing upright.
TIP: Remember to store your albums upright whenever possible. Laying them down will put more stress on the layouts inside the album and can cause the album to lose it's shape.

  

 

 

 

Suz also recently reviewed her hodge podge of albums and decided to replace them all with the beautiful Love You More D-Ring Albums.  Though they are at slightly lower price point than the We R Memory Keepers, there is no skimping on quality.  The D-rings are strong and the albums each hold between 40 and 50 layouts, depending on their bulk.   Suz loved the neutrality of the taupe colour - when you have this many albums sitting out on display you don't necessarily want a heavy block of strong colour!

 

 

Many of Suz's everyday layouts are 8.5x11" and though she's happy to mingle all sizes of layouts in her 12x12 albums, she's also kept some back in these cute little SEI 8.5 x11" albums.  There's a few reasons for this - if she's going somewhere where friends may want to flick through an album of hers, clearly these are lighter and easier to carry than the hefty 12x12's.  More importantly though, her still smallish-children love to flick through their albums and they find it much easier to pull one of these out and have a browse through than the larger albums, and these pages full of the everyday activities that change so quickly with children of this age are fascinating to them.

pow! storage solutions

 

 

Caz loves her Vituri Urban Handbag by Cropper Hopper. Up until she bought this bag she has always been a small purse on a strap, keys and phone in the back pocket kinda girl. There was never anywhere to hold an emergency hairbrush for the kids, tissues, a pen, or any of the other incidentals that the 'good mothers' always seemed to have on them. lol.

This gorgeous bag changed all this. Possible for the worse. Now there is a space for everything, Caz finds she is carting around more stuff than she probably needs. Sudoku book and pencil for waiting in the car for the kids, panadol, hand-cream, lipstick (not that she wears it), a space for a can of coke (excellent thinking on the designers part) and even that air drying hand cleaner stuff, she has definitely crossed over to the "good (slightly obsessive) Mummy side".

The best thing about the bag however is the removable sleeve which holds photos of her kids. It is such a conversation starter. People are always commenting on what a great idea it is, even complete strangers in the check-out queue. The photos are held in a plastic sleeve which is waterproof and slips out easily when you want to change them.

Here are the specs on the bag -
* Three external photo windows for showing off your loved ones
* Metal feet on the bottom provide durability and stability
* Large zippered pouch
* Zipper to close the bag has concealed magnets for finely tailored appearance
* Rear external pocket for easy access
* Elegant and stylish lining throughout
* Detachable matching key chain with photo window
* Pen loops
* Convenient pockets for credit cards, mobile phone and glasses
* Durable faux-leather finish

Dimensions 15.5" x 4.25" x 8.25"
24.5" strap

The sturdy yet lightweight album bag is more than big enough to hold all the things you would need for a crop night. There is ample room inside to hold work in progress albums and paper carriers. Inside there are also 3 mesh pockets that velcro shut, a place to safely store your paper trimmer and elastic pen holders.

There is a large zippered pocket on the outside and the top of the bag zippers shut. It also comes with a detachable shoulder strap.
note to self: measuring approx 40cm x 40cm it would also make a great carry on bag for a flight.

This fabulous embellishment case from Love You More is made from translucent plastic so you can easily see what is inside without opening it. It has six sections which each contain a stack of generous sized screw together embellishment containers.

This storage system is perfect for keeping your brads, eyelets, beads etc separate yet contained together, all ready to throw in your bag to take to crops.

Acrylic stamps are one of those items that always seem to get lost or mislaid and are crying out for a good storage solution.  This fab little folder is a Stamp Carrier Starter Kit from Crop-in-Style and is exactly that - a solution.   With five pockets to store acrylic stamps, and scope to add more of them this folder is fab!  The pockets are clear so that you can see just what you have inside each and with the velcro flap over each they're never in danger of becoming unstuck or slipping out and getting lost.

The Cropper Hopper 12 x 12 paper holder is possibly Mel's most favourite storage item that she owns. It's fabulous for storing patterned paper and plain cardstock and sits neatly on a shelf for handy access. The holder is made from a really strong plastic and also comes in a 6x6, 8x8 and 8.5X11 size, which makes the smaller sizes great for holding paper pads or offcuts to keep for a later date.

   

One of the very first storage solutions Mel bought was this Cropper Hopper 12x12 Supply Case in blue (it is also available in black or ice). Still going strong it houses patterned paper/cardstock (in the underneath section) and various tools and embellishments in the top section.

Now though, one of these cute little AMM storage totes houses the majority of Mel's tools. It has a turntable on the bottom (attached with a strong magnet) which means you can swing the tote around while it sits on your work area - perfect for reaching items from the other side. There are many pockets and compartments of various sizes and the middle section is really handy to keep larger tools in (such as a cutter) or even a work in progress mini album.

pow! tools

The Tim Holtz Texture Hammer is the latest tool to make it's way onto Caz's collection. The hammer comes with 4 interchangeable heads - rubber (for smoothing), metal (for flattening & attaching eyelets), dots (to create a bumpy texture), and lines (to create a canvas texture) plus a handy little mat.

The hammer is quite light-weight and the tips are easy to take on and off. The fact that the head is double-sided means that you can have two different heads in use at any one time.

Tim himself recommends that you wet grungeboard or paper before you distress it as it will hold the distressing more effectively.  Caz found that if you painted the item you were distressing first or sprayed it with Glimmer Mist then it has the same effect as if you were wetting it. She loved the look of the combination of the dots effect tip with graphite coloured Glimmer Mist as it made chipboard letters look they they were made from beaten metal.

The hammer can also be used on paper and metal embellishments. It is particularly useful for making brads look old and beat-up. If you are into the whole 'distressing' scene then this is the ideal tool for you.

One of Mel's most favourite tools, the Heidi Swapp distresser is pink, cute and easy to use. You simply hold the distresser in your hand and swipe it gently along the piece of paper to achieve a nice distressed finish. They're great for the 'small scrapper' too who wants to be just like Mum, easy for them to use without cutting any fingers or small hands that might get in the way.

Mel's now onto her second box of Heidi Swapp Coloured Pencils and apart from looking really cute in their long cylinder container, they write and colour in beautifully, coming in a sweet array of colours. They are pretty much shatter proof too - Mel's have been shaken up many times in their container by little fingers wanting to look and use the pencils!

The Heidi Swapp sandpaper is the perfect size for distressing your papers and embellishments. Each packet contains 5 sheets that you tear off as needed and here's a tip from Mel - cut the sheets in half to make 10 sheets or else once the outer edges wear down a little, snip them off to make a smaller (yet unscathed) sheet of sand paper.

Perhaps not considered a tool as such, but another little Heidi Swapp product that can't go by without a mention is the lip gloss. A sweet stocking filler with Christmas coming up, great to keep in your handbag or perfect for little girls. It has a roll on applicator with a touch of glitter (for extra sparkle) and the lip gloss itself is really lovely and shiny. Spoil yourself :)

The Basic Grey rub-on tool is a wonderful new-ish little piece of equipment on the market. Nicole has owned one for some time now and at first she wasn't convinced that she needed one, her stylus was just fine thankyou.

That was until she realised that the tip is spring loaded to make it a little harder than normal for you to apply too much pressure and makes applying rub-ons over a multiple layers a breeze! The flat end is perfect for smoothing out wrinkly rub-ons and picking up any stray bits. The verdict here in Nic's opinion, is that every scrap bag should have one. Once you try it you'll love it!

This unassuming little craft knife is without a doubt Nicole's most essential piece of scrapping equipment. Made by Heidi Swapp the rubber grip makes handcutting even the most delicate elements easy. Changing blades is simple and the thicker stem is comfortable in the hand. Nicole has owned quite a few different craft knives but the Heidi Swapp one is by far her favourite ever!

The Crop-A-Dile by We R Memory Keepers may look daunting and a bit scary but it is neither of those. With a simple squeeze you can easily and cleanly punch holes through heavy media like chipboard, leather, acetate, fabric, just about anything you scrap with! It punches two sizes and sets just about every sized eyelet you could ever use in your scrapbook.

Nicole uses her Crop-A-Dile time and time again and says that she could not create mini-books as easily as she does without it. It's durable as well as it's used constantly in classes that Nic teaches.

It's handy to have around the house as well Nic realised when her son's new belt was too big she effortlessly punched a new hole in the leather and set an eyelet within seconds and WITHOUT a hammer or other noisy equipment, just a squeeze of the Crop-A-Dile. It may seem a little pricey for a hole punch and eyelet setter but in Nicole's opinion once you realise just how much you use it, you'll know it's great value for money.

The Basic Grey file set was a long time coming in Nicole's opinion. She can't remember not having little files for chipboard now and wonders how she ever managed without them.

The small files are essential for filing and sanding places where sanding blocks and paper just cannot reach like inside chipboard letters and accents and the larger files are perfect to quickly take the edge off a photo, or for off the page projects.   The flexibility of the large files makes them perfect for filing round and odd-shaped items as well. If you haven't got these, you need them!

 

This is Steph's favourite tool and she can't scrap without it. The Basic Grey precision mat is a 15"x15" cutting mat, which is a great size to pop your layout on, plus any embellishments on the side. The 18" ruler is magnetic and fantastic for lining up photo mats and embellishments with the grid lines each side of your art work. Steph loves the magnetic tacks included in the kit that can hold bits and pieces down while you play with the design.

Best of all, little fingers can't move things while they are held down by these magnets. You can also buy replacement/extra magnets if you need them.

Everyone loves going along to conventions, classes, retreats and crops, and I'm sure we all hate carrying around our cutting mats - they are either too big making it awkward to carry or too small leaving not enough room for even a 12in cut.

Deja Views has a fantastic product that really is a must for any scrapper who attends crops, classes, retreats and conventions; and with some conventions now placing a limit on how much you can take into the classrooms it really is a tool that all scrappers need.

So what is it I hear you ask - Expand-A-Mat. It is 3 mats of 3-61/4" x 12 1/4" which snap together to create one Matt that is big enough to work on a 12 x 12 layout. It's self healing, light weight , and easly fits into most totes. Snaps together in minutes, and is just as easy to pull apart for storage.

The first question I asked was "does the blade get stuck in the groves" - answer NO !! it slides right over the top. 

Want to make your mat a little bigger - simply purchase another pack and snap them to your old one .. and when you have finished working simply unsnap your matt and place it back into your tote bag.

pow! borders

To get a great effect with stamps you don't have to use difficult techniques as Chris has shown us with this layout. By co-ordinating ink colours with cardstock colours and using the 3 flourish border stamps from Hero Arts Chris has created this attractive design. Chris has basically created pattern paper background with the border stamps showing their versatility. By adding a few Hero Arts flowers and gems the layout is finished off beautifully.

In this example, Donna has taken a Crate Paper Prudence Glitter border to create an elegant embellishment and focal point for her page. By threading some SEI ribbon through the diecut holes & adding small details to the top of the border, Donna has maintained the simplicity of the page while still creating something interesting and whimsical.

 

Jaimie used the pink paislee topsider borders to create a decorative edge for her LO. Keeping the embellishments to a simple uncluttered style was achieved easily using the borders topped with matching stickers to give texture, dimension and a bit of cute. Jaimie also cut down one of the larger Topsider borders to create a complimenting journal spot for her page. Some BG thrown into the mix and Jaimie has created a beautiful page.

Sassafras Borders are the perfect accompaniment to weight your layout and frame your photo. Here Steph uses the borders to tilt the axis of the layout, and by doing so makes the layout more interesting to the eye.

 

 

Nicole could not have been more excited to see this new range by Crate Paper called Prudence. The deliciously die-cut papers and colours inspired her immediately.

What surprised her though was the Glitter borders. Anyone who knows Nic knows she doesn't love glitter. Once she laid eyes on the Crate Paper border strips though she was hooked. Perfectly understated, the Glitter borders add the pop that the papers need without being obviously 'blingy'.

On Nicole's layout, they create the perfect photo mat alternative anchoring her smaller photos together and creating balance on her page. She was even able to trim the circle border into a scallop and use it to soften the top edge of her journal space. Nic admits, she may now almost be a glitter convert if this is the way that glittery products are headed.

Mel selected Lil Davis Beloved Borders (Secret Crush) for this challenge and not only used them as a border directly underneath the photo, but also to create some cool flower stems for her paper circle flowers.

The flowers were punched out using two different sized circle punches, scrunched in a ball, unfolded and lightly sanded before adhering with a stitched button. The papers used for this layout were from the Crate Paper Prudence range (Charity and Discretion) with a splash of Heidi Swapp Carefree Hearts patterned paper to help lift the photos.

Chris shows us once again that border stamps don't have to be used for just borders. Chris has jazzed up this address book by using border stamps from both Luxe Designs and Sassafras Lass. I'm sure you'll agree it give the address book a funky new look! Chris stamped the borders with black ink and then coloured them with Inque Boutique blendable markers.

pow! image stamps

Image stamps are always fun to play with and for this challenge Mel has used the Bold Pop Flower (although most of the Hero Arts flower stamps would be suitable), stamped the image onto a piece of cardstock with an embossing pad, sprinkled embossing powder over the flower and heated. Once the embossing powder was cool, the flower was handcut around using scissors and then another layer of embossing powder was added to give a nice glossy finish.

A button was then adhered onto the middle of the flower using dimensional magic. Mr Campy ribbons (Cosmo Cricket) were then used to create the flowers stalks and complete the embellishments for the layout.

   

Using the Sassfras Lass stamps was always in Steph's mind when she had to create a layout for this blog challenge. She had wanted to use the strawberry stamps and here Steph stamped the image onto cardstock and then used Luminarte's Twinkling H2O's to paint over the image. After she cut around the image and adhered it onto the layout. The result was just beautiful, the colours were perfect for the photo of Madison she based her layout around.

 

  

Photos are an enormous part of Donna's life. Not only as a Mum & scrapbooker, but also as a photographer. It was only a matter of time before she grabbed hold of this particular stamp by Scenic Route Paper Co.! The thing that most appealed to her was the endless possibilities of its use.

In this example, Donna has stamped directly onto a SEI Coaster Tag allowing the embossed silver design of the tag to add to the character of the effect. She has also added some bling to the 'lens' of the stamp and jewels to highlight the other working parts of a camera. While she hasn't done anything outlandish in this particular layout, the effect is strong and could be repeated on many layouts without "over doing" it.

Donna also wanted to demonstrate that stamps are not destined only to be used on cards or layouts. Donna sends photos often and by using the stamp on this envelope she is protecting the photos while also adding a personal touch to her mail. Here, Donna has also stamped a DVD containing digital photos using the Snapshots stamp and also a small plastic snaplock bag that she uses to store her camera batteries. StazOn ink will work beautifully on just about any surface and by labelling the bag she will never confuse batteries again!

 

 

Nicole created this adorable little journal by covering a plain hardcover notebook in Micheal Miller fabric, and then embellishing with stamps by Pink Paislee and Inque Boutique. She customised the stamps to her own liking by colouring with watercolour paint and adding little adornments like jewels by Queen and Co. and a button by SEI.

Note also that Nic allowed the gorgeous fabric texture to show through the skull and borders by stamping directly onto the fabric, yet gave the title and cupcake extra pop by stamping onto plain cardstock before colouring and stitching.

Chris has become a huge fan of the balloon stamps since using them and finding out what amazing birthday cards they can create. Chris used the masking effect again to create the card on the left and for the card on the right she simply stamped onto white cardstock, cut a rectangle around each balloon and mounted on her card. The Heidi Swapp Runway papers added some extra pizzazz to the set.

Using the Hero Arts Balloon stamps and Happy Birthday oval stamp Chris shows us how to create both male and female cards. For the card on the left Chris has stamped the balloons onto white cardstock and then cut them out and place on her card. For a different look Chris has masked the centre balloon in the card on the right and stamped directly over the mask with the other balloon stamps and straight onto a cardstock circle. She has also inked the strings of the balloons in black.

    

Chris was very excited to show us this fabulous layout by Jennifer McGuire. Jennifer has long been an inspiration to Chris and even more so now that Chris has discovered the wonderful world of stamping. Jennifer shows us how simple it is to use the Balloons stamp set to create fantastic accents for this wonderful birthday layout.

Jennifer has also created this quick and easy card again with the balloon set. Many thanks Jennifer for inspiring the views with your creations!

pow! chipboard shapes

The Technique Tuesday chipboard shapes are a lovely base to work with - nice and white all the way through to the core and easily, painted, covered, inked or as Mel has demonstrated on this layout they can also look very striking embossed. To create this effect on your chipboard begin by choosing 3-4 different ink pad colours. Run the inks over and all around the shape (Fundamental Swanky Frames) creating a rainbow effect of colour. Let the ink dry and then add several layers of clear embossing powder to ensure a beautiful glossy finish. The little bird on the page (Flora & Fauna also by Technique Tuesday) has also been covered in ink and then clear embossed.

Journaling strips were then added to tell the story behind the photo and a striking red backdrop (Basic Grey, Scarlet) finished off the layout.

 

 

 

BasicGrey are one of the best when it comes to chipboard products. With mountain loads to choose from it is never difficult to find a BasicGrey chipboard product to suit a layout. Here Donna reminds us that although patterned chipboard is perfect on it's own, adding your own little touches to the chipboard shapes can only make a good thing even better. In this example Donna has used BG's Euphoria Chipboard Stickers and carefully trimmed small 'petals' of patterned paper to place underneath the chipboard flower. In doing so, the chipboard flower pops right of the page and is cleverly separated from the underlying patterned paper without looking too 'busy'.

 

Suz has combined BasicGrey's Urban Prairie papers here with SEI Chick-a-dee and Chick-a-doo Chipboard Coasters to create a beautifully soft rainbow palette on which to showcase one of her favourite photos of bedtime.  The chipboard coasters are wonderfully versatile and can be arranged to create borders, patterns or single accents.  Notice also the Michael Miller 'canvas' paper she has used as background cardstock - the perfect complementing colour and the texture just adds to the idea of the 'cosy' time theme.

When Steph put her name down for this blog challenge she couldn't decide which chipboard to use because there were so many awesome choices. In the end she just went for four different styles !!!! The feature of this layout is the Technique Tuesday scallop circle which Steph painted blue and sprayed with Pearl Glimmermist just to lift the matt colour.

The Scenic Route chipboard butterfly has been covered with a serviette and two coats of mod podge. Chipboard is so perfect for this medium because you can gently wrap the serviette around the defined corners. The BasicGrey leaves have been painted with a couple of mixed Heidi Swapp Paints and sprayed with Glimmermist. When the mist is still wet, Steph added some glitter to give the leaves even more texture and shine.

The last little chipboard accent was the Sassafras Lass bluebird which is a beautiful finishing touch to her layout.

 

 

 

Using the wonderfully detailed cog shapes from the Cogsmo range by Cosmo Cricket, Nicole was able to use them to symbolically represent the theme of her journalling being about how her son is a thinker.

She painstakingly covered each shape with papers from the Zach's Life range by Little Yellow Bicycle then handcut and sanded the edges. Using the file set by Basic Grey made this task easy! It took a while but we're sure you'd agree that the results are well worth it. The layered shapes have given the layout interest and a grungy boy theme is achieved easily.

An easier and far quicker way to achieve this result would be to use the die-cut sheets by Cosmo Cricket that match the blackboard chipboard perfectly. In this instance though, Nicole wanted to use these colours and she also gains a strange enjoyment from covering chipboard!

The blackboard chipboard has a lovely texture that sands well and of course the dark colour means no ugly edges.

          

Using a frames from a discount shop, leftover Cogsmo blackboard chipboard and scraps from her paper stash, Nicole quickly and easily created these cute little custom-made photo frames. We think these would make gorgeous gifts.

Any type of chipboard is so versatile, and Inque Boutique's is no exception.  This entire breathtaking wall-hanging is made from the die cuts in the Memoir collection.  She covered most of them in Crate Paper Kaitlin patterned papers and diecuts, which gave it a pretty whimsical feel, and such delicate detail.

pow! journalling accents

There are so many journaling accent options, but this layout by Nic Howard shows that you can use the accents as embellishments, rather than something simply to hold your journaling. Nic has created a base for her layout with Hambly Kraft papers and Basicgrey Wassail. She has then cut various elements from a Hambly 'Journaling Spots' paper and layered them on her page along with a heart cut from Teresa Collins paper. Nic has then added her journaling, on transparency, over the top of the layered accents.  Glimmer Mist in Candy Apple Red has added that touch of colour to the right side.

Looking at journaling blocks, cards or accents as embellishments opens up a whole range of possibilities to your layouts, resulting in layouts similar to Nic's.

Suz has used Heidi Swapp Day journalling spots to record a week in the life of her son.  Obviously not every detail, just the little things that make each day slightly different - runners on tuesdays, library bag on fridays etc.  She has cut BasicGrey Offbeat patterned paper squares to the same size and rounded their corners to match the journaling spots and continue the theme.  A couple of Offbeat die-cut stickers are enough to break up the very square look and accent the page.

Scenic Route die cuts are one of Mel's favourite products to use on a layout. Usually just one will be used on her pages to add journaling or a small title, but for this layout Mel has used a variety of Ashville and Providence diecut shapes combined with Basic Grey papers (Archaic Rusty & Offbeat Casual).

The circles on the page have then been used to create small journaling areas, teeny titles and to hold photos and accents. A scattering of In A Stitch green buttons and machine stitching have tied together the elements on the page and completed the page nicely.

Altering embellishments can be an fun and visually effective medium to use on your layouts. Here Steph has used the Jenni Bowlin "Victoria" Collection Journalling Cards and sewed her journalling onto them. She has adhered the Basic Grey Chipboard Ladybug to the journalling cards to layer its appearance. Tearing and curling paper gives the layout a well used look and adds to its shabby charm.

To enhance the Jenni Bowlin yellow flower patterned paper, Steph sprayed Glimmermist on them and then cut them to shape.

For some, words come easily and others...well, it can be a struggle. Donna doesn't find it difficult to record her thoughts and narrate the stories on her pages, but she does get a little scared when journalling directly onto a completed layout. Using journalling accents is Donna's favourite way to add her thoughts to a page. She knows that should things not go to plan, she can find another accent and start over. SEI accents are perfect in this respect as there are so many to choose from, yet they all coordinate beautifully with each other. Donna makes plenty of mistakes and finds that it's never difficult to find a "replacement" accent, from her stash of SEI products, to fill the space.

 

 

Journaling tags are a fun way to create your layout, Carole used the Hog Heaven Journaling chipboard and pattern papers. She made the main feature to her layout the Journaling chipboard which she layered and if you look closely you'll see she also used the journaling tags for matting her photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every Cosmo Cricket paper range comes with a sheet of perfectly co-ordinating journal cards. On a 12 x 12 sheet, the cards generally trim down to 6 x 4" or half of that. This of course is the perfect mini-album size to scrap all of those standard 6 x 4 photos. Cut the journal card sheet down into cards and then using a Crop-A-Dile, punch holes to make an album spine. Use the cards like Nicole has to record your thoughts and if any aren't relevant, simply use it to back a photo.

You can also make pages for your mini album from the photos on their own by adhering them back to back. Make smaller pages with journal cards and sandwich in between covers cut from Hambly overlays.

To create this gorgeous little album, Nicole used nothing more than her photos, one sheet of Cosmo Cricket journalling cards from the Jack's World range and the co-ordinating die-cut stickers, plus some random left-over rub-ons she had in her stash. Quick simple and economical!

pow! rub-ons

The beauty of rub-ons is that they can be dressed up or down to enhance your layout. Here Steph has used the Hambly Frame Rub Ons and placed a Heidi Swapp Crown Bling inside to signify that Emma is a princess. She has mixed and matched various rub ons, and although completely different in colour and theme, she has tied them all together with the accompanying paint placed underneath the photograph.  Even her title is a beautiful Carolee's Creations rubon, giving this stunnig page of hers focus and meaning.

 

 

  

 

One of Carole's favourite scrapping products are wonderful rub-ons, and as you can see with this layout, she has lots of things happening. Carole has used acetate (transparency) as a main feature for using the rub-ons. By rubbing straight onto the acetate she then cut around the acetate and used foam dots to 3D, the effect looks amazing.

Carole has also used the rub-ons straight onto the background cardstock, and also on chipboard which became her title.  The products Carole used are the We R Memory Keepers White Out Nonsense Colour Rub-ons, patterned papers and Hoopla Layered Chipboard.

For this challenge Mel decided to select Scenic Route Travel Mini Words rubons and apply some of the words above and below the main focal point of the photo. They help draw the eye directly to the photograph and the splash of colour in some of the words add interest and fun to the page. A scattering of Basic Grey buttons and large title help to finish off the page. Mel created the title (ride) by spraying some Scenic Route plain berkely alphas with Glimmer Mist (Pink Bubblegum) and adding a glossy finish with a coat of dimensional magic.

 

For something different use an entire sheet of rubons as they are on the manufacturers sheet as an alternative to patterned paper! Jaimie used a sheet of rubons over SEI Chalk paper as a montage of words that describe her sons. By doing this she has created a colourful addition to her page.

If you look back at Nic's layouts through the years you will see that the BasicGrey Rub-ons have been a favourite for a long time. Nic loves the way a rub-on can add elegance and flow yet because of their see-through properties, they do so without covering up important parts of the layout.  In this layout you will see that Nic has used black urban border rub-ons over the top of patterned paper embellishments and her photo.

She has then used one of the circular rub-ons from the BasicGrey Ambrosia set and added it to white cardstock, making a fabulous centrepiece for her embellishment cluster. All papers used in this layout are also BasicGrey, with a dash of Scenic Route and Heidi Swapp for the title!

Using one of the customisable snowglobes from Harvey Norman, Nicole transformed it into this gorgeous keepsake using papers and chipboard embellishments from Cosmo Cricket and then finished off by using the Cosmo Cricket metallic rub-ons, both inside the snowglobe on the paper and then around the outside. The result is lovely and layered.

Nic also couldn't resist the customisable baubles from the Harvey Norman photo counter.  She started with a Hambly transparency background, attached a small photo and finished by adding Cosmo Cricket silver rub-ons and a Heidi Swapp ghost snowflake. The result is this delightful transparent tree ornament!

         

 

Finally, Suz shares a fast and cost-effective antedote to buying special Christmas themed glassware that ends up irrelevant for eleven months of the year and just needs to be stored somewhere.  It's all about using what you have and customising it. 

Suz's daughter Phoebe has decreed that this Christmas have a simple gold and silver theme (rather understated for her), and so Suz has started work on this by using Hambly Gold Stars and Jenni Bowlin Gold Border rubons to add Christmas oomph to a plain glass jug and martini glasses that she uses every year for her christmas eggnog.  (Recipe to follow in Wednesday's post!)

pow! felt die cuts, felt fusion... felt!

 

 

 

 

Carole loved creating with the beautiful Inque Boutique Memoirs Collections Felt and the Jenni Bowlin Felt Shapes. She stitched and layered the felt, and with the bird she shaped it into a cone to make the bird look full.

Carole also stamped a "H" using the Sassafrass Lass Puffin Clear Nesting Stamps, she used the first nesting stamp a flower which she stamped onto the felt first with blue ink, and then stamped the 'H" onto the felt over the flower using black ink, then she stitched around the "H" to make it stand out, and layered it over the "HOME" Mini Bingo Cards.

The effect of the felt on the layout looked gorgeous and the Inque Boutique Memoir felt frame and house are just beautiful, and very easy to stitch onto, with backstitch and blanket stitch.

 

 

There are several manufacturer's bringing out new felt products, but when asked to join in with this challenge, Mel chose her favourite range of products from Queen & Co to work with. The felt solids range has a lovely palette of colours and Mel used one of the brown strips (which are self adhesive) to create the grass directly underneath the photo.

To complete the outdoors feel to the layout, flowers and vines were added (hand cut from Felt Fusion) with a splash of Heidi Swapp hot pink flowers also included. Felt brads were popped through the middle of the flowers and finally a border was hand-stitched around the garden and photo to tie everything together.

There's no denying it - Felt is fun!

 

 

 

 

Jenni Bowlin papers set the scene in this layout with some unconventional use of felt by Nic Howard. Take a close look at the felt layered under the photo - it is Queen & Co snowflake felt, not usually the pattern one might pair with beach photos but this just goes to show how effective embellishments can be when we think outside our normal boundaries. Nic has placed white felt on white paper - and used it as a dimensional element for which to place her photo on.

She has embellished with elements cut from Jenni Bowlin papers and another felt heart - also by Jenni Bowlin. Nic's tip for this layout? Don't bother pulling the backing off the Queen & Co felt to reveal the adhesive. It can sometimes tangle a little with large pieces. Apply your adhesive directly to the felt backing - so much easier!

 

 

 

 

 

 

By using a variety of felt shapes from Heidi Swapp, Nicole was able to turn the leaf pattern on this Heidi Swapp paper into a gorgeous floral vine border. Adding interest with flower centres of pearl and jewel brads by love You More and a scattering of SEI buttons, Nicole emphasised the adorable photo, added a warm feeling with the felt and continued that with the texture of the Basic Grey and SEI ribbons.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes when you're not feeling inspired, playing with page elements instead of trying to scrap a whole page can be an effective 'mojo unblocker'!  Suz created these cute little christmas tree ornaments from Jenni Bowlin's felt birds, but they could just as easily become a pretty little page element, or look perfectly comfortable on the front of a christmas card.

Suz embellished one with more felt - Queen & Co's white heart felt fusion made the perfect (and fast) little adornment, and as there can't be christmas without glitter, she outlined a second with some of Pink Paislee's SilverBerry and Coconut Pixee Stix glitters. 

 

 

 

And finally, a novel but practical idea for Queen & Co's felt fusion - use tiny bits of leftovers if you have them, but we think this idea is a good enough reason to go buy a pack specially!  Suz's daughter's strappy summer dresses are forever falling off their slipper plastic hangers, leaving a pile at the bottom of the wardrobe and making Suz wonder why she ever bothered doing all that washing and ironing.  A sliver of self-adhesive felt down the top each of each hanger became a pretty and economical solution - even the strappiest straps don't slip past it!

pow! monograms

Suz has combined gorgeous Tinkering Ink Botanical Bliss monograms on this layout with an eclectic mix of products including SEI Poppy and Sassafras Lass Happy Place in her effort to reflect her daughters equally eclectic style.  She has inked the edges so that they stand out a little more although they contrast beautifully with the deep teal of the SEI Poppy textured cardstock.  

Always looking for somewhere new and fun to position her journalling, Suz was thrilled to discover a metallic silver Hambly journalling rubon fitted perfectly inside the O.

 

Working with the Heidi Swapp Monograms was an absolute pleasure for Steph. She loved the way the backs just peeled off so easily and the adhesive stuck firmly to her layout. These monograms were easy to pop out of the packaging and once placed on the layout they immediately looked stunning and colourful.

Mixing the alphabet up with capitals and lower case gave the page a playful look which echoed the subject of a child's layout.

 

 

 

Caz has used one of the large Tim Holtz Grungeboard monogram @ signs to stand in for an 'a' in this layout. She painted it and then added some of the new Pink Paislee"Pixie Stix glitter to the paint while it was wet. This tied the monogram in perfectly with the gorgeous glitter accents in the Mia range by Crate Paper.
This is the first time Caz has made a round layout and she is thrilled with the way that it turned out.

 

 

 

 

Nic created this simple but cute little wallhanging for her daughter from Cosmo Cricket Bucknaked chipboard button letters. She topped them with the matching die-cut button covers from the "Hello Sunshine", punched a few extra holes with her trusty Crop-A-Dile and laced together using Heidi Swapp tulle, She finished my attached a stamped butterfly, Cosmo stickers and some Heidi Swapp chandelier crystals.

 

 

 

Though Suz generally despairs of his choice of reading material, she is delighted that her 7 year old son can so often be found with his nose in a book, and so she whipped up this fabulous fast and easy bookmark for him.  BasicGrey's Obscure line and Elbow monograms are perfect for seven year old boy's bookmarks and simply adhered to a sliver of Hambly transparency can apparently be met with an 'ohh  sick!' which apparently is praise indeed from said seven year old!

 

 

 

  

Every now and then Suz is consumed with guilt over throwing lots of her children's 'art' away - you can't keep every morsel they create, can you?  But you can keep some, and this is a gorgeous little way of doing it - just collect little drawings, notes, cards and scrapbook 'pages' that your child creates and punch holes in the side. 

To form the cover of the book Suz has used an oldie but a goodie - the original BasicGrey chipboard monograms.  Big and beautiful they are as timeless on a scrapbook page  as they are as a mini book cover as Suz shows here.  She has covered these in mixed up ranges of BasicGrey die cut monograms, and adhered them to a Scrapping Clearly acrylic mini album page which makes the perfect cover for a book of scraps.  A second acrylic page stamped with the date goes on the back and your book - a little time capsule of your child's activities - is complete.

pow! christmas

We bring you a veritable treasure trove of christmas magic in this bumper post - and it's only  just the beginning of our ideas and projects for celebrating this christmas in scrappy style.

 

 

 

 

Carole just loves Christmas so anything she can create early is always a bonus. Carole used Little Yellow Bicycle Christmas Magic products to create this gorgeous Wreath for her front door. She used the The Medallion 12x12 Lace Cardstock for the Wreath, which she cut the middle out of, and then embellished with baubles and flowers made from the patterned papers.

Carole also used the beautiful Favourite Felt Shapes, snowflakes and swirls.  She also incorporated some felt accents to the center of flower which she made by cutting out strips and snipping the sides of the felt with the scissors and rolling them up to create little buds, and some cute little pom poms, and glitter.

For the final touch Carole added a gorgeous gold bow - SEI Holy Lane Ribbon, and a cute little stamped bird from the Spring Fling Clear Stamps.

Caz created these cute candle wraps from the Holly Lane range by SEI. Some of the papers already have beautiful foil accents on them so Caz just layered strips of the paper and added in a few more foil stripes using double sided tape and the foil sheets from We R Memory Keepers.

Heidi Swapp bling and a layered flower creation finish them off nicely. The candle wraps can be slipped off when the candle burns down too far and slipped onto a new candle. They would make great Christmas presents for teacher, neighbours etc.

There's not much that says Christmas like red and white - as shown in this layout by Nic Howard. Basicgrey Wassail has gorgeous soft tones for the base of this layout and then Nic has added black cardstock and Heidi Swapp letters for contrast. A single photo adorns this layout, with most the detail in the sprinkling of BasicGrey Ambrosia buttons and Queen & Co pearls. You'll also notice Nic's signature curling on the various layers of papers, creating a layout that is simple, yet detailed.

  

 

 

Suz highlights just some of the stunning papers from BasicGrey's Mistletoe & Pear 12x12 paper pad with this layout of her children on Christmas Morning.  Though the photo was so beautiful she couldn't resist blowing it up, she has framed it with strips of patterned paper and a touch of Hambly transparency to reflect the rainbow in her daughters dress.

Scrapping Clearly Acrylic circles have been backed with more of the BasicGrey and then embellished with rubons and Suz's newest obsession - Pink Paislee's Pixee Stix - glitter tubes that come in 15 amazing colours. 

Here Suz has used the decidedly cute Deja View's Flurries & Frost range of patterned papers, die cut tags and transparent glitter stickers.  She has combined this with Queen & Co felt fusion on which she has doodled flourishes simply with a black pen, and Love You More gem brads.

 

Finally, a couple of Christmas cards.  Inspired by one she saw in Craft Business magazine, the design is stunning in its simplicity -  a cut out section of a half triangle is simply folded over to make the other side of the tree.  You need a double sided patterned paper to make one of these simply, and BasicGrey's Fruitcake is perfect.

Suz has embellished her 'tree' with more DejaViews glitter stickers, Queen & Co Jewels and attached a glittered Queen & Co star at the top.  The sentiments is actually a white SEI iron on from the Holiday Hoopla range - which she has Glimmer Misted and inked for that gorgeous rich brown colour.

 

 

Another gorgeous Christmas card design, this is a three-folded card that Suz has created from BasicGrey Mistletoe & Pear papers and embellished with her perennial favourite - Hambly Screen Prints transparent stars.  A Grungeboard bookplate has been GlimmerMisted, and Suz is happy to report that the Grungeboard withstood heat from the iron just fine as the sentiment is another from the SEI Holiday Hoopla pack.  Suz used a LuminArte Radiant Rain dauber to change it to a beautiful bright red once it was ironed on.

The final touches included inking the edges of each fold, glittering the edges of each of the stars, and borders of beautiful Jenni Bowlin rubons.

pow! iron-on transfers

The lesser noticed relation of the rub-on, iron-on's can bring a gorgeous dimension and texture to your layout pages.  Check out our design team examples.

 

 

For this layout Mel has used an SEI Iron On (Boy Graphics) and ironed it directly onto the patterned paper, slightly onto the photograph. The trick to using an Iron On so that it doesn't warp your paper (and photo) is to place a tea towel (or something of similar thickness) over the Iron On before ironing. They're really versatile and can be used on a wide range of items - fabric, wood, paper and just about anything that you can heat slightly with an iron.

There are some really cute images in the SEI Boy Graphic sheet too - lots of boyish bugs, signs, tree and wording, which are just perfect for those hard to scrap boy layouts.

 

 

 

Steph had been wanting to use this SEI Iron On for quite some time, so when this chance arose, she couldn't help but use the Little Yellow Bicycle papers as a background. The iron on is actually flocked and because of this gorgeous texture Steph chose to continue the tactile theme by including some soft feathers which echo the little stork and baby softness.

Steph also used her favourite Glimmermist - Pink Taffy - which she used on the Glimmer Chips Butterfly Wings, and embellished them with an "m" for her daughter Madison. The Heidi Swapp crown finished off this separate embellishment perfectly.

Suz has rediscovered iron-ons with this challenge, and you'll see a lot more these gorgeous Heidi Swapp Apple Pie alphas in several layouts in the near future.  And here's a tip:  If you don't have, or can't be bothered getting out the iron, you can just carefully pull them off their backing and glue them down!  Saves all that messing about when there's small children around, and means there's no risk of warping papers or melting any transparencies you might have lurking on a layout.

 

 

 

 

To create this cute little 8 x 8 wall hanging, Carole used the very cute range of SEI Doodley Doo Boy patterned papers and diecuts, but what made this project really special were the gorgeous Iron On Transfers - they were so easy to use.

Carole used some of the Iron On shapes on patterned paper, and then cut them out and layered them onto the wall hanging, she also used them on the Diecut Tags and also they worked really well on felt, which she then cut out and attached with pins or foam tape. Carole really loved the versatility of the iron ons, and how neat they looked when applied.

Carole also added some branches and then glued some cut out leaves onto the branches which held the Wall Hanging together.

Caz loves the Heidi Swapp iron-ons letters as they come in so many colours and fonts and are perfect for personalising clothing and presents for family and friends.  They go on so easily and can be added to anything that is fabric and can be flattened over an ironing board end. They are also machine washable and stretch and bend really well with your clothing. 

Here she has used iron-ons in Centre of Attention Lowercase, colour Sea, to personalise her daughters shoulder bag.

Create your own designer jeans with Heidi Swapp iron-ons. Caz glammed up these jeans belonging to her daughter with the sweet Apple Pie lowercase font in pink. Add a funky belt and you are all set.

Do you have a friend with a favourite saying that is really hard to buy for? Make them their own unique t-shirt or underwear with their saying on it. These iron-ons in Newsprint are actually a gorgeous silver glitter.

Nothing says I love you like a personalised pair of undies!

pow! bling

No page for any little fairy is complete without a touch (or more) of bling and Heidi Swapp bling never goes out of style! Nic added Heidi's bling here in the form of circles highlighting the smaller photo, and also as a lift for the sparkly SEI Ally's Wonderland chipboard flowers. She cut one of the squares into a photo corner and topped off the gorgeous girly-ness of the entire page by attaching a Heidi Swapp chandelier crystal to her journal tag button.

The SEI flowers come packaged in a gorgeous re-usable little round box and have a delicious coating of teeny sparkles. Also from the SEI Ally's Wonderland range is the huge ric rac and sweet sequin ribbons that Nicole added here!

 

Suz has used bling on bling on this very colourful and reflective layout.  She has handcut randomly shaped hearts from the divine BasicGrey Urban Prairie patterned papers and either outlined or embellished each of them with different coloured Hero Arts Gemstones.  These gorgeous little jewels come in two sizes in strips with very discreet adhesive which can actually be bent and curved around shapes as well as left in straight lines.  Suz also loves her ghost letters which have a timeless appeal and here she has outlined them in different colours to 'reflect' the hearts above as well as re-inforce the theme of the layout which is about her daughter decorating glass jars.

 

 

As far as Donna is concerned, it's all about Bling! She loves it and definitely can't get enough - every colour & every shape. Heidi Swapp Bling! is one product, in particular, that Donna has to include on a layout. A page just doesn't seem complete without it. She particularly loves Bling! borders due to their versatility. Donna simply cuts the number of jewels she requires from the strip and applies to her page making it possible to create her own shapes and curves.

 

 

 

Bling has become a basic for many scrappers these days with so much on offer from shimmer papers through to the trusty brad - which has had a major makeover - with all the beautiful gem brads in every colour of the rainbow available for addition to any page. Jaimie has placed her colourful Love You More gem brads on her page to add 'pop' to her hand embroidered design. Heidi Swapp tiny bling flowers and a subtle title ensure that the page has colour and interest while the focus remains on her photo.

 

 

For this layout Mel has used Junkitz blingz (stars) to gently scatter across the page, combined with Heidi Swapp Metallic Silver chipboard letters and Junkitz rhinestonez. The rhinestonez (jewels) have been added randomly to the title to help add a Christmas feel to the layout.

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steph had lots of fun with this Tinkering Ink Flower Booklet, decorating it with Basic Grey Urban Prarie and lots of gorgeous bling. Heidi Swapps Bling Circles were perfect for the shape of this OTP project, and added just that little bit of glamour which highlights the sweet papers.

On the cover under the little bird are Heidi Swapp Chandelier Crystals, one of Steph's favourite bits of bling. They just finish off this project and give it a whimsical feminine accent.

pow: 6x6" and 8x8" patterned paper pads

Mel has used Basic Grey's Boxer 6x6 paper pad to create this layout of her daughter Bella. What's really fabulous about using a paper pad is that you have a whole wad of beautifully matching patterned paper all ready to go and easy to flick through while you're deciding which sheets to use.

Mel cut out a series of 5cm squares from the pad and machine stitched them into position onto a sheet of kraft.  She then added a photo, floral accent (BG Boxer chip stickers) and striking red title.  An extra effect was added to the Scenic Route Berkeley alphabet letters by using a Tim Holtz Texture Hammer.

To finish off and balance the layout a small photo corner was fashioned using excess paper from the pad (and placed on the top left hand corner of the photo) while a couple of red stars were scattered across the page (Jenni Bowlin Apothecary stickers).

 

 

Paper pads are a fabulous way to purchase an entire range of papers without breaking the bank balance. Here Jaimie uses the Memoirs range of patterned papers in a 6x6" paper pad from Inque Boutique which contain three to four sheets of each of about fifteen designs.  These make creating a layout using this size paper perfect as  'joins' can be hidden under embellishments and photos giving the illusion of using a 12x12 sheet of paper - the best of both worlds.

 

Here's a fab thing to do with 6x6 papers - make 6x6 layouts out of them!  Suz created four separate layouts using the Inque Boutique Cabana patterned papers each detailing one of the activities her family had enjoyed at the local Show,  and then joined them to make a 12x12 layout.  Each layout can stand on its own with photos, title, journalling and embellishments, but also combines to create a cohesive page, and because all the patterned paper came from a single range Suz knew that the colour palettes would all work together no matter how different she made each square. Using a paper pad in this way takes all the hard work out of mixing and matching!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caz's family has 2 billets staying with them for the first week of the school holidays as part of a sister city program so decided to make them each a small album to take home containing some of the photos she has taken of their visit.

When choosing products for this challenge Caz couldn't go past the Deja Views Fresh Print Mango 8x8 Paper and Punch-out Tablet as it contains everything you need to make at least 2 mini albums. 20 printed papers and 283 card-stock elements including 2 sets of alphas. Everything co-ordinates beautifully and made it a cinch to put together the albums.

 

   

 

 

   

The 6x6 and 8x8 paper pads are perfect for cards as well, as Nic Howard found out when she looked through one of the 8x8 Cosmo Cricket Hello Sunshine pads. Each page was in miniature with separate pages of words, sentiments and strips. The bright colours of Hello Sunshine, paired with the fun shaped papers in this pad made creating 3 cards quick and easy.

pow! stickers - non alphas

The most wonderful thing about stickers is their versatility and adaptability. It usually takes Steph hours to complete her layouts, but using these Sassafras Lass stickers, she was able to complete this layout in 30 minutes. They are colourful and fun and reflect the smile of Madison perfectly. Steph highlighted the general "anything goes" feel of the layout by adding strips of Scenic Route Patterned Paper as a border for her layout.

 

 

 

To be able to manipulate stickers is something Carole loves to do, with the use of the gorgeous BasicGrey Euphoria Elements Stickers and transparency Carole has been able to layer (3D) the stickers to create pretty embellishments.  She also incorporated Jenni Bowlin Journaling blocks and SEI Poppy frame with the BasicGrey to give it a not completely uniform feel.

 

Caz has used the Basic Grey Two Scoops element stickers for the basis of this sweet page. She cut one of the border stickers in half and adhered half at the top and half at the bottom of her photos to create an unusual photo mat. A row of brads give a little bit of texture and something for the eye to follow.

For this layout Mel has used a combination of Sassafras Lass Robotics and Sunshine Lollipop cardstock stickers to create a backdrop for her puppy photo - just like layering small patterned paper pieces, but instead using stickers.

Mel has also adhered the large arrow sticker to thick piece of chipboard, cutting around the edge closely with scissors and adhering onto her page to use a journaling block. This adds extra dimension to the sticker.  Another way to add the dimension to stickers without the chipboard is to use foam mounting tape - the top left hand photo corner has been lifted from the page this way.

Long gone are the tacky stickers with the white rims of yesteryear, today's stickers are cool, funky, cute - in fact anything you need them to be.  Suz created this layout as a bit of fun as her kitten has no more hope of catching a bird than she has of flying, and yet she keeps trying.  Suz has used the Hambly Kraft bird stickers and border stickers to create cute and colourful accents on this page.

   

Tab alphas are one of Nic Howard favourite mini album embellishments at the moment, as you can see by this example using Little Yellow Bicycle 'Zach's Life' fabric stickers. Nic cut 4 x 6 1/2 pieces of patterned papers by BasicGrey and LYB and tied them together with Strano ribbon. She added some Glimmer Misted Scenic Route frames and the fabric stickers to finish. Such a quick and easy mini album for any occasion.

pow: brads

These days the ubiquitous brad can be used for so much more than just attaching embellishments or bookplates.  They are embellishments in their own right and can be used in a multitude of creative and fun ways.  Here Suz has used a heap of different coloured Love You More flower brads as blossoms in a Tattered Angels GlimmerGlass tree.  She has centred each of the 'flowers' with Hero Arts gems for extra detail and sparkle.

Brads are perfect for enhancing the patterns in our patterned papers!  This layout, by Nic Howard, is a perfect example of how stunning brads can look when used en masse!  Nic cut a large flower from a BasicGrey LilyKate paper and used it as a central embellishment.  She followed the lines in her paper with Queen & Co mini sprinkle brads to add amazing dimension.  The row of Queen & Co trio brads under the title finishes the layout nicely.

Nicole highlighted the centre of selected flowers of the Crate Paper Sweet Branch die cuts with the matching brads. Adding brads to the centre of these elements gives this adorable layout the lift that it needed. These little touches of cute colour can give soft colours a bit of punch.

 

Caz has used brads as both a decorative accent (the wave) and as part of the title on this groovy page about her Daughter's participation in the State Dance Camp. She drew the wave on a piece of paper, marked dots along it spaced fairly evenly apart in pencil, and then poked holes through all the layers of her page using a pointy poker thingy. This made inserting the brads evenly a cinch.

 

 

Brads are extremely versatile and can be used in a variety of ways. For this layout Mel has chosen to showcase the Basic Grey Archaic brads and has used them to create the dots in the letter 'i' for her title and also as an accent poking them through the layers of ribbon and patterned paper. They're lovely, glazed and can add great texture to a page.

*Tip* If you do have several layers of papers etc.. on a page, create a hole first with a needle and then ease the brad through gently.

And another gorgeous example of enhancing the patterns in our paper with brads from Nic Howard.  This layout has used a mix of papers from the BasicGrey Sultry, Sugared and Two Scoops ranges.  Nic noticed the paisley pattern in one of the papers and recreated it as an embellishment.  BasicGrey brads were used around the outlines, again giving beautiful definition to the project.

Finally, Suz rounds off this post with an idea for larger brads like the SEI 'Big Brads'.  Using small word and design rubons they can be the perfect sentiment to add to a card.  Here Suz has combined them with some of her new favourite - the delicious new BasicGrey Urban Prairie papers, and a touch of glitter from the new Pink Paislee Pixee Stix.

pow! ribbon

 

You'll find plenty of ribbon if you scroll through just about any of our posts - it's a staple product for most scrapbookers and its versatility is endless, as are the colour combinations and ranges you can find it in now.  We've also produced a few posts already featuring nearly endless ideas for using up your stash - you can find them here, here and here as well as a weekend inspiration post using strano here.

 

 

But in case they weren't enough, our design team has come up with some more ideas!

 

Donna hasn't used a scrap of patterned paper on this ribbon-inspired layout. Instead, the ribbon forms the basis of the layout adding tons of texture, colour and fun. To add a little more interest, Donna has woven a couple of additional ribbons through the horizontal arrangement, creating a clever weave. A few simple embellishments were all that was needed to finish off this already interesting and creative piece of scrapbook art.

 

 

"Ribbon can be so versatile, but ribbon pleating is one of the more fun ribbon techniques", says Nic Howard, about the ribbon feature in her new layout "Missing You". Nic has bunched the ribbon on top of itself, adhering down as she moved along the layout. There are ribbon touches everywhere on this layout, note the lower ribbon borders and ribbon bow stapled on top of the heart. Cosmo Cricket Trim Trimeree was the ribbon of choice here but with so many options, the possibilities are endless.

 

 

 

Gone are the days of ribbon sneeze on layouts as its no longer necessary to have them 'everywhere' on your page just to show you have them on your page! Jaimie shows how the less is more approach works by adding a simple ribbon border to her Layout and has placed a felt flower layered over lace ribbon and a large floral with a ribbon 'stem' as the main embellishment. Two small strips of ribbon with chipboard photo corners represent arrows to direct the eye back to the subject photo.

 

 

 

Nicole created this adorable noticeboard for her son's bedroom by covering a large canvas in denim and securing with a staple gun on the back. She then added Cosmo Cricket ribbons in a criss-cross pattern, also securing on the back with staples and secured the whole lot by stitching assorted BasicGrey buttons at each ribbon intersection.

To finish she added Glimmermist in matching colours to some Grungeboard Elements and glued on. Her son now has a funky and versatile board to store all sorts of bits and pieces on.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For this cute project Suz Doyle has layered different sized chipboard circles over one of the cool Paper Trunk Chipboard Wheel, covering in a different SEI Dill Blossom patterned paper.  She then cut short lengths of ribbon and looped them all around the edge of each of the circles, forming a fun loopy textured pattern. 

The We R Memory Keepers Urban Window Diner ribbons co-ordinated with the Dill Blossom papers perfectly, showing how easily you can mix and match manufacturers.

 

Suz's five year old daughter wanted to check out the technique as well and produced this card as Suz worked on the chipboard wheel - showing just how easy it is to master a fun technique!